Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

12 reviews

jackbifrost's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Physical abuse

mariacirillo's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

At first I thought this book was just giving me a weird vibe because it was written in 2003 and aged poorly. Then I read Shriver’s political leanings and her crude, ineffectual portrayal of the nuance of nature vs nurture made much more sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Eating disorder and Fatphobia

gunkguy's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Homophobia

librarian_barbie's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I have mixed feelings about this book. It's very well written, though at times too flowery and slightly grating. It's a good book, but not entertaining- very much meant to be thought about rather than just consumed. I liked it, but still had some hesitations in giving it a high rating. Glad I read it, but I don't think I'd read it again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting

Minor: Ableism and Fatphobia

catcurren's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I personally was not a huge fan of this book, I honestly struggled to get through it. I found the narrator to be too pretentious (which i think is probably the point) either way I would fall asleep within a few pages. I def got a laugh out of “mommer” though. I wish the pace was quicker. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Pregnancy

sweetlittleredw's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book… I enjoy being mentally ground up. I enjoy reading depraved things (tender is the flesh, woom, the troop, etc) but the ending of this book… I didn’t expect Eva to say what she said. When we find out what happened, I literally had to pause and rewind to make sure I heard it right. I knew it was coming; I knew with that final “are you sure you don’t want to say another goodbye” line bad things were on the horizon. I had no idea it was going to be that cruel. 
Character-wise, I could not stand Franklin. He was constantly undermining Eva. Eva, herself, was a grating character especially with how she talked about people. Definitely hated characters. 
Overall, I enjoyed the writing style. I enjoyed that ending because it’ll stick with me for awhile. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

milliad's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was a very hard, heartbreaking book. I picked it up as I’d read others be incredibly moved by it, and I understand why.
None of the characters are wholly good or moral, and I found myself hating the husband the whole way through.  I found it an interesting and real commentary on how mothers and women are constantly blamed, even when they were not in control or were reduced and abused themselves.
I’m not a maternal person at all, and I wonder how my experience with this book would be if I was.
I’m glad I read it, but I would not reread it. It made me think and it moved me, it’s unsettling and well written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Mass/school shootings

the_bookish_owl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Written in the form of letters from Eva to her husband Franklin, it was an odd writing style and tone of voice that took a while to get into but overall a compelling story.

It constantly annoyed me how clueless the husband was throughout Kevin's life. Intriguing twist near the end that I'll be honest I didn't see coming.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Racism

madelinequinne's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Well this certainly cemented the fact that I don’t ever want kids. Kevin continuously made me so angry throughout this novel, and the absolute heartbreak i felt at the end when we find out he murdered his little sister too, that just absolutely broke me. This is such a difficult book at times because of how awful the topic is, but overall I would just describe this book as sad. It’s incredibly well written, and this is the most emotion i’ve ever felt after reading a book to date, so brb, gonna go cry 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

daughterofaphrodite's review against another edition

1.25

I hated this. The narrator has virtually no redeeming qualities - she's foul, and obviously Kevin is awful. Just a miserable read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, and Mass/school shootings